I Love LA: Spilled Milk #51

My favorite places to eat Chinese food in Los Angeles.

I am a serious Chinese food nerd.

Which is why, on a 14-hour trip to Pittsburgh last week after a recommendation from my friend Sunil Bhatt, I found myself sitting at a table for one, 20 minutes before closing, on a rainy night at Chengdu Gourmet (the Forward Avenue location; the other doesn’t offer the same food), slurping down some superb, sweat-inducing fish with pickled vegetables and enough other food to feed a family of four. If I am with three other people, I order food for six to share. If I am alone, well, I can never ignore a few suggestions from the kitchen or one of my barometer dishes like ma-po tofu or dan-dan noodles…so I order them all.

Anyway, since the next few weeks are holiday comfort food-dominated, I found my mind drifting to thoughts of cities I am headed to soon and restaurants I look forward to visiting.

I’ve been told that my lists are too long. I get that. So, I cut this one in half. It hurt to do it. These are in no particular order, btw. And please post your favorites in the comments. My travel is picking up after the last few years of dullsville, so if you have a solid gold recommendation, I want to know about it.

10 Not-to-Miss Chinese Restaurants in LA

Noodles at Dai Ho in Temple City.

• Dai Ho, Temple City…Insane Taiwanese food, some of the best I have eaten anywhere. I literally can order everything on the menu because there are no duds. Beef noodle soup, tofu noodles, it’s all superb.

• Corner Beef Noodle House, El Monte… Perfect beef noodle soup. Perfect. Can you tell I am obsessed with Taiwanese beef noodle soup? Yes, I am.